Sock-type footwear



Feb. 19, 1952 J. HOZA SOCK-TYPE FOOTWEAR Filed June 25 1950 INVENTURLlnhn H02 51 ATTEIRNE Patented Feb. 19, 1952 UNITED *STATES PATENTOFFICE soon-TYPE FOOTWEAR,

John Hoza, Belcamp, Md.

.ApplicationJune23, 1950, Serial No. 169,969

1 "Claim.

prise a regular knitted sock having a sole attached thereto so that thesocks serve as shoes for lounging purposes. Theicustomary socks aremoccasin type soft leather soles that are removably secured to the socksby large loose stitches. Thus, the socks absorbentlyand porously encasethe wearers feet while the soles save most of the wear and tear on thesocks.

These loafer socks have two principal defects, namely: they are not'water repellent and, consequently, are not altogether'.-:suitable. foruse on thev waterfront, boats or the like; and, primarily, they aredifficult to launder because the soles must be removed by removing thestitches before washing the socks and then, after the socks are dry, thesoles must be again sewed to the socks.

Having in mind the defects of the prior art constructions, it is theprincipal object of the present invention to provide socks havingpermanently attached soles and which are capable of being laundered.

It is another object of the invention to provide loafer socks withpermanently attached waterproof soles.

It is a further object of the invention to provide loafer socks havingcushion soles.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide loafer sockshaving soft, flexible heel and toe counters.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide loafer sockswith simplicity of organization, economy of construction, and efficiencyof operation.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto are preferablyaccomplished, in accordance with the present invention, by a regular,loosely knit sock, preferably cotton, having a thin rubber solepermanently attached to the sole and slightly up the sides of the sock.The rubber sole, preferably, includes a sponge rubber inner sole tocushion the wearers foot. Thin sheet-rubber toe and heel counters areprovided to lightly and resiliently support the sock at these points.The rubber parts are attached to the sock by a suitable cement to enableadhesion without completely impairing the absorbency of the fabric.

The so-calledarticle of footwear .or loafer socks have become'somewhatpopular 'and com-' composed of ordinary wool orcotton socks and Thenovel features that are considered characteristic ofthe-invention areset forth with particularity in -the agppended claim. Theinvention=;itse1-f, however ,-:both as to its-organization andits-method of operation, together with additionalobjects and advantagesthereof, will best be understood from the following description of aspecific embodiment when read in connection with-the accompanyingdrawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like:partsthroughout the several .figures and ,in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective-of a loafer sock in accordancewith thepresent invention;

Figure 2 .is a cross-sectional view takenon line 2-2 of Figure 1; 1

Figure 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view, similar to Figure .2 butshowing the individual parts-prior to assembly; and

Figure 4 is-a cross sectional view takenon line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, specifically to Figure 1, an article offootwear or loafer sock, according to the present invention, comprises aregular knit sock I that may be of any suitable knitting material but ispreferably of cotton, and

preferably comprises a relatively large or loose knit and a heavilyribbed ankle and leg portion, as shown. This sock I is provided with theusual foxing stri 2, preferably a thin rubber strip, around the sides ofthe sock foot, and a relatively thin rubber sole 3 that extends up andpartially over the foxing strip 2. If desired, thin sheet rubbercounters 4 may be provided at the toe and heel, these counters beinidentical as far as construction is concerned, differing only in sizeand shape.

The specific sole construction is best shown in Figures 2 and 3, whereinit will be seen that the sole 3 comprises a thin rubber sheet 5 formingthe outer sole and surrounding a relatively thicker inner sole 6composed of a layer of s onge rubber. The sponge rubber layer 6, whilebeing somewhat thicker than the sole sheet 5, is relatively thin so asto produce a thin, light, highly flexible sole.

The inner sole 6 is preferably secured to and embedded in a thin fabricfriction reinforcement 1 which, in turn, is secured to the sole sheet 5,thus providing a thin but strong sole construction. The inner sole 6 issecured directly to the sole of the sock, there being a partialembedding of the sponge rubber in the sock threads and stitches whichprovides good adhesion but does not materially inhibit absorption by thesock. In addition a thin reinforcing strip 8 of fabric is interposedbetween the sponge rubber inner sole 6 and foxing strip 2, said strip 8extending up around the edge of the inner sole 6 and over the sides ofthe sock foot portion but below the top edge of the foxing strip 2. Theforegoing parts are all bonded together and the 'foxing strip 2, liner 8and inner sole 5 are applied to the sock I, and then the entire assemblyis inserted intoa vulcanizer and vulcanized to provide permanentadherence. I

If desired, the counter pieces 4 may be applied to the heel and toeportions of the sock, as illustrated in the cross-section through thetoe portion shown in Figure 4. These counters are preferably cut fromthe thin sheet rubber which is used for the outer sole 5 and are cut toshape for the particular location, that is, the heel or the toe. Thecounters 4 are attached directly to the sock material and beneath thefoxing strip 2.

In view of the foregoing description, it will be seen that, according tothe invention, a unitary loafer sock is provided, the sole beingwaterproof and integrally secured so that the unitary structure maybelaundered without the necessity of removing and re-attaching the sole.The relatively thin sponge rubber inner sole cushions the foot withoutmaterially thickening the solefas a whole. Thus, a completely practical,economical, sanitary and eflicient loafer sock is afforded by theinvention.

Although a certain specific embodiment of the invention has been shownand described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof arepossible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in sofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of theappended claim.

That which is claimed, as new, is:

An article of footwear comprising a seamless open mesh knit sockincluding a foot portion, a relatively thick inner sole formed of spongerubher cemented to the bottom of the foot portion of the open meshseamless sock, a thin fabric strip cemented to the side wall of the openmesh sock and the under side of the margin of the sponge rubber, arubber foxing strip overlying the thin fabric strip and extended beyondthe upper and lower edges of said fabric strip, the upper edge of therubber foxing strip being cemented to the lower portion ofv the sidewall of the sock and the lower edge cemented to the bottom of the spongerubber inner sole and the intermediate portion being cemented to thefabric strip; a thin fabric sheet cemented to and extending entirelyover the bottom of the sponge rubber inner sole and over the lowerportion of the rubber foxing strip and cemented thereto, and a thinsheet of rubber extending over the fabric sheet and up and around thelower portion of the sides of the rubber foxing strip, said thin sheetof rubber being' cemented to the fabric sheet and the rubber foxingstrip.

JOHN HOZA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,249,702 Wiegard Dec. 11, 19171,622,860 Cutler Mar. 29, 1927 2,143,556 Hodaly Jan. 10, 1939 2,147,197Glidden Feb. 14, 1939 2.538.673 Donahue Jan. 16. 1951 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 362,799 Italy Sept. 5, 1938

